I hope that family bought the stegosaurus. I hope the families near the natural history museum getting rid of its dioramas inquired about whether any elements were available for purchase.
Ours right now if full of parents wondering why the teacher is sending less homework home than she said she would. To which I said "Maybe let's let that one slide." It's kindergarten. Who cares. Sorry if your kid won't get into Yale now.
Oh God! Talk about be careful what you wish for. There is an optional zoom tonight for parents to explain what the kids will be learning for the constitution test and like I already took that test. And also what constitution.
This one made me laugh out loud because recognition:
The school chat is mostly people asking questions that are ALREADY ANSWERED IN THE HANDBOOK and it fills me with rage. Why are you asking a thread with 86 people on it what day jeans day is??????????????? WHY!?!?!?
My parent chat rotates between the topics of (1) which school are we thinking of sending all our kids to when they go to preK next year and (2) suggestions for romantasy novels. The dads are NOT into topic 2 but the moms feel they are both equally important so we just ignore them.
I am absolutely fried from winter break that lasted an unexpected extra day (sick day yesterday, today he is finally at school), because I read the first entry and thought "Wow, someone else had the exact same stupid card thing as at our school?!" (spoiler: me, i am the someone)
Claire! My husband's birthday is also January 10. It makes me crazy.
I told him yesterday morning that the kids are upset we don't have a gift for him, so *please* come up with an idea. Last night, he suggested an $88 gift pack of tinned fish from an online store.
This gift idea a) will not arrive on time, b) still requires me to find something to wrap, to satisfy our children, and c) is $90 of canned fish.
I ordered the fish. But he will be unwrapping socks on Saturday.
My husband will be unwrapping socks * if* they come on time. My kid told me yesterday we should get a present for dad. I was like why don’t you make him one.
In the past, we’ve gone to target and we’re not shopping at target right now and then our backup is typically the independent bookstore but he has a big ass pile of books from Christmas so I don’t even know. I blame his parents for deciding to have him when they did.
My 10-year-old just had her bday on January 4, which was a Sunday and the last day of winter break/day before going back to school. It was kind of like running a marathon and then at the finish line being forced to choreograph and perform an original dance.
Last year we threw a Willy Wonka themed party that honestly I'm really proud of, but after it I warned her we were *not* hosting a party at home the next year (I would concede some party package at a roller rink or something). But somehow I got roped into it again, planning a Paris-themed party (her idea) all while she kept wondering aloud if she had "peaked" with the Willy Wonka party. I've gotten pretty good about nailing down the theme and getting any custom stuff ordered before the holidays hit, but oh man I cannot tell you how brutal it is to be sitting there on New Year's Day just so wanting to be DONE and get back to normal life but instead you have to totally ramp up again with errands, rush ordering gifts, etc., for the birthday party (and also my daughter is whatever the birthday equivalent of a bridezilla is). All that said, my sister's birthday was January 10 and our overwhelmed single mom only threw her a party maybe once? and she's still hurt about it, so that's what drives me!
I'm saving this comment for my someday issue on birthday parties. Your daughter is lucky to have a mom who tries, period although I'm sure she doesn't know how lucky she is. I hope her friends' parents are thankful that you give their kids something to do in the post-break doldrums.
"Three kids logged into some other kids Time Tables Rockstar accounts to inflate their points and then used their points to buy stuff the kids didn’t want" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
Mine right now is just where my 7th grader is after school. I don't let him take his phone to school, so then sometimes after school, he just . . . doesn't come home, and he's always at a friend's house, so I just text the moms and figure it out. It feels very old school and like a totally reasonable trade-off for him not having his phone with him all day. Though I do wonder if some of the other moms are like, why does she not know where her kid is??
My freshman has a flip phone and I ask him to just text me his general whereabouts after school and he never does! He is mad b/c his friends don't have to do it, and I'm like, "They're probably being tracked/surveilled on their iPhones!" I refuse to track him ever--but he's gotta help me out!
My son turned on find my location on his new Apple Watch for fun! Because that’s what kids do now. I didn’t ask him to, he wanted to be surveilled. If you insist!
My daughter was the one who insisted that we all download Life360 -- because she wants to know where we are! She's a senior in college now in another state and occasionally I will get a text like, "Can't believe you went to my favorite restaurant without me!" Or "Have you really been at the gym for two hours? What are you doing?!" It is insane to me.
I refuse! It's called privacy, baby! I don't want anyone to know about my secret life as a superhero, or, my supremely routine life as a boring person! It feels like my husband and I are the last couple who don't track each other, and we will probably be the last parents who don't track their kids (or I guess be tracked by them!?!)
Right? I think my kid’s friends are also all being tracked, too, and I have zero interest in that. Thus far, he’s basically always at one of two kids’ houses, so it’s not hard to find him. It’s annoying, but I remember being similarly bad at letting my mom know when I got places so [shrug]
He sent me an email from his school account at the end of the day yesterday letting me know he was going over to his friend’s house, which is how I learned that another friend’s goofy photo is his image on his school email. Apparently they all swapped photos, then the school locked down their ability to download anything, so now they’ve all got these silly alter egos!
OH MY GOD my friend sent that to me and I didn't read the comment he put with it because usually he's a very sincere, not snarky guy and I was like "WHY DID YOU SEND THIS TO ME? DID YOU DO THIS? DO YOU THINK I AM GOING TO DO THIS?" and he was like "CHILL! If you read my actual message it says 'look at the comments - I'm dying.'" Which immediately restored my trust in him.
I am sorry about your mom, Claire. My parents are doing okay now but after we went through some real shit with my in-laws (tl;dr they both passed away within a few months of each other, one very unexpected and one not) I keep waiting for the day everything takes a turn with them...and they live 1500 miles away. FWIW all your writing on it has been very helpful if only to emotionally prepare myself.
I'm responsible for occasionally blowing up my mom chat because I'm a professor and every time a student reveals they are very unprepared for the world (can't cook, can't write a check, says something wildly misogynist/racist, secretly has parents lurking off screen on a Zoom call or bcc's them where they are complaining about something, threatens legal action and/or letters to the university president for bad grades or something else they didn't like) I keep telling my friends we need to raise OUR kids differently.
Today I got an email from a student that wants to take certain classes but says the 30 minute window between them won't allow them enough time to eat so could we do something about that (i.e. changing the university-mandated schedule or letting them attend one class remotely). So that one's going to the chat.
thank you for the kind words Sara. I feel like my aging parent situation has shown me the opposite of being able to emotionally prepare but I'm glad my pieces haven't been actively harmful ha. I don't think proximity or distance necessarily make it any easier. My husband will have to fly to Phx when his parents (and their 17 cats) face their time but I also am emotionally on the hook for dumb shit like making sure my mom's plants are watered. We are going to do better by our kids!! We have to.
I know a handful of witches in academia who should have a "Can You Believe This Shit?" chat. One had a male student try to bribe her into raising his A- to an A with a promise of a glowing professor review.
My mom chat is very light and meme focused probably because I told them all they can’t talk to me about school board stuff since I’m an elected official and I want to protect them from FOIA, ha! Sometimes we laugh about the implosion of the Republican Party in my town.
They are probably relieved to some extent honestly! in my experience, not too many people talk about school board stuff because they want to talk about how fun school board stuff is
My birthday is 12/26 and it is the worst (Jean Ralphio gif). My mom’s is 12/21 so she knew it sucked and was very conscientious about using birthday wrapping paper, no combo birthday/Christmas gifts, doing something special with me although now I realize she was definitely exhausted, a real cake even though there were already a million sweets around. As a kid I typically had a birthday party on my half birthday in June, which was worked super well but did create an expectation that I would get gifts on my half birthday that I held on to for probably way too long.
Oh, that’s a rough one. I have a friend whose birthday is on Christmas proper and I always text her saying “happy birthday and nothing else!” and she says “thanks. Happy unbirthday to you.” I happened to be born on tax day/ Easter Sunday, but that is not remotely the same since Easter is always floating around. I did have a friend ask me once tho what it’s like to have everyone hate your birthday.
I'm a Jan 3 baby and it basically SUCKS. QUITE often, it's the day you go back to work after a break, so it's the Monday-est Monday that ever MONDAYED.
Mine right now: 5th grade basketball practice logistics. Reassuringly boring.
I hope that family bought the stegosaurus. I hope the families near the natural history museum getting rid of its dioramas inquired about whether any elements were available for purchase.
Buy the stego!!!
Ours right now if full of parents wondering why the teacher is sending less homework home than she said she would. To which I said "Maybe let's let that one slide." It's kindergarten. Who cares. Sorry if your kid won't get into Yale now.
Oh God! Talk about be careful what you wish for. There is an optional zoom tonight for parents to explain what the kids will be learning for the constitution test and like I already took that test. And also what constitution.
I had not considered until now what it must be like to teach civics in the current environment and oh god
This one made me laugh out loud because recognition:
The school chat is mostly people asking questions that are ALREADY ANSWERED IN THE HANDBOOK and it fills me with rage. Why are you asking a thread with 86 people on it what day jeans day is??????????????? WHY!?!?!?
My parent chat rotates between the topics of (1) which school are we thinking of sending all our kids to when they go to preK next year and (2) suggestions for romantasy novels. The dads are NOT into topic 2 but the moms feel they are both equally important so we just ignore them.
I am absolutely fried from winter break that lasted an unexpected extra day (sick day yesterday, today he is finally at school), because I read the first entry and thought "Wow, someone else had the exact same stupid card thing as at our school?!" (spoiler: me, i am the someone)
Claire! My husband's birthday is also January 10. It makes me crazy.
I told him yesterday morning that the kids are upset we don't have a gift for him, so *please* come up with an idea. Last night, he suggested an $88 gift pack of tinned fish from an online store.
This gift idea a) will not arrive on time, b) still requires me to find something to wrap, to satisfy our children, and c) is $90 of canned fish.
I ordered the fish. But he will be unwrapping socks on Saturday.
My husband will be unwrapping socks * if* they come on time. My kid told me yesterday we should get a present for dad. I was like why don’t you make him one.
This was a far better response which I will be using for Father's Day.
In the past, we’ve gone to target and we’re not shopping at target right now and then our backup is typically the independent bookstore but he has a big ass pile of books from Christmas so I don’t even know. I blame his parents for deciding to have him when they did.
Capricorn men, I tell you.
My 10-year-old just had her bday on January 4, which was a Sunday and the last day of winter break/day before going back to school. It was kind of like running a marathon and then at the finish line being forced to choreograph and perform an original dance.
Last year we threw a Willy Wonka themed party that honestly I'm really proud of, but after it I warned her we were *not* hosting a party at home the next year (I would concede some party package at a roller rink or something). But somehow I got roped into it again, planning a Paris-themed party (her idea) all while she kept wondering aloud if she had "peaked" with the Willy Wonka party. I've gotten pretty good about nailing down the theme and getting any custom stuff ordered before the holidays hit, but oh man I cannot tell you how brutal it is to be sitting there on New Year's Day just so wanting to be DONE and get back to normal life but instead you have to totally ramp up again with errands, rush ordering gifts, etc., for the birthday party (and also my daughter is whatever the birthday equivalent of a bridezilla is). All that said, my sister's birthday was January 10 and our overwhelmed single mom only threw her a party maybe once? and she's still hurt about it, so that's what drives me!
I'm saving this comment for my someday issue on birthday parties. Your daughter is lucky to have a mom who tries, period although I'm sure she doesn't know how lucky she is. I hope her friends' parents are thankful that you give their kids something to do in the post-break doldrums.
"Three kids logged into some other kids Time Tables Rockstar accounts to inflate their points and then used their points to buy stuff the kids didn’t want" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
Thinking of you and your family, Claire!
Mine right now is just where my 7th grader is after school. I don't let him take his phone to school, so then sometimes after school, he just . . . doesn't come home, and he's always at a friend's house, so I just text the moms and figure it out. It feels very old school and like a totally reasonable trade-off for him not having his phone with him all day. Though I do wonder if some of the other moms are like, why does she not know where her kid is??
My freshman has a flip phone and I ask him to just text me his general whereabouts after school and he never does! He is mad b/c his friends don't have to do it, and I'm like, "They're probably being tracked/surveilled on their iPhones!" I refuse to track him ever--but he's gotta help me out!
My son turned on find my location on his new Apple Watch for fun! Because that’s what kids do now. I didn’t ask him to, he wanted to be surveilled. If you insist!
ugh NO, KID. NO!
My daughter was the one who insisted that we all download Life360 -- because she wants to know where we are! She's a senior in college now in another state and occasionally I will get a text like, "Can't believe you went to my favorite restaurant without me!" Or "Have you really been at the gym for two hours? What are you doing?!" It is insane to me.
I refuse! It's called privacy, baby! I don't want anyone to know about my secret life as a superhero, or, my supremely routine life as a boring person! It feels like my husband and I are the last couple who don't track each other, and we will probably be the last parents who don't track their kids (or I guess be tracked by them!?!)
Right? I think my kid’s friends are also all being tracked, too, and I have zero interest in that. Thus far, he’s basically always at one of two kids’ houses, so it’s not hard to find him. It’s annoying, but I remember being similarly bad at letting my mom know when I got places so [shrug]
He sent me an email from his school account at the end of the day yesterday letting me know he was going over to his friend’s house, which is how I learned that another friend’s goofy photo is his image on his school email. Apparently they all swapped photos, then the school locked down their ability to download anything, so now they’ve all got these silly alter egos!
Someone actually did that sandbox thing?! That's insane.
OH MY GOD my friend sent that to me and I didn't read the comment he put with it because usually he's a very sincere, not snarky guy and I was like "WHY DID YOU SEND THIS TO ME? DID YOU DO THIS? DO YOU THINK I AM GOING TO DO THIS?" and he was like "CHILL! If you read my actual message it says 'look at the comments - I'm dying.'" Which immediately restored my trust in him.
I am sorry about your mom, Claire. My parents are doing okay now but after we went through some real shit with my in-laws (tl;dr they both passed away within a few months of each other, one very unexpected and one not) I keep waiting for the day everything takes a turn with them...and they live 1500 miles away. FWIW all your writing on it has been very helpful if only to emotionally prepare myself.
I'm responsible for occasionally blowing up my mom chat because I'm a professor and every time a student reveals they are very unprepared for the world (can't cook, can't write a check, says something wildly misogynist/racist, secretly has parents lurking off screen on a Zoom call or bcc's them where they are complaining about something, threatens legal action and/or letters to the university president for bad grades or something else they didn't like) I keep telling my friends we need to raise OUR kids differently.
Today I got an email from a student that wants to take certain classes but says the 30 minute window between them won't allow them enough time to eat so could we do something about that (i.e. changing the university-mandated schedule or letting them attend one class remotely). So that one's going to the chat.
thank you for the kind words Sara. I feel like my aging parent situation has shown me the opposite of being able to emotionally prepare but I'm glad my pieces haven't been actively harmful ha. I don't think proximity or distance necessarily make it any easier. My husband will have to fly to Phx when his parents (and their 17 cats) face their time but I also am emotionally on the hook for dumb shit like making sure my mom's plants are watered. We are going to do better by our kids!! We have to.
I know a handful of witches in academia who should have a "Can You Believe This Shit?" chat. One had a male student try to bribe her into raising his A- to an A with a promise of a glowing professor review.
My mom chat is very light and meme focused probably because I told them all they can’t talk to me about school board stuff since I’m an elected official and I want to protect them from FOIA, ha! Sometimes we laugh about the implosion of the Republican Party in my town.
They are probably relieved to some extent honestly! in my experience, not too many people talk about school board stuff because they want to talk about how fun school board stuff is
I’m trying to convince a few of them to run 😅 budget cycle has started so we’ll see how many people yell at us.
Having served on a school board, you really do forge some meaningful relationships over those post-meeting wtf debriefs.
My birthday is 12/26 and it is the worst (Jean Ralphio gif). My mom’s is 12/21 so she knew it sucked and was very conscientious about using birthday wrapping paper, no combo birthday/Christmas gifts, doing something special with me although now I realize she was definitely exhausted, a real cake even though there were already a million sweets around. As a kid I typically had a birthday party on my half birthday in June, which was worked super well but did create an expectation that I would get gifts on my half birthday that I held on to for probably way too long.
Oh, that’s a rough one. I have a friend whose birthday is on Christmas proper and I always text her saying “happy birthday and nothing else!” and she says “thanks. Happy unbirthday to you.” I happened to be born on tax day/ Easter Sunday, but that is not remotely the same since Easter is always floating around. I did have a friend ask me once tho what it’s like to have everyone hate your birthday.
I'm a Jan 3 baby and it basically SUCKS. QUITE often, it's the day you go back to work after a break, so it's the Monday-est Monday that ever MONDAYED.
aw happy belated birthday Kaitlyn!
Claire! Your mom, I'm sorry.
there was a really firey travel softball thread that i'm sorry to be a part of